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Sat 19 February 2022 | 11:30

Top facts about Stadion Narodowy, Kazimierz Gorski’s National stadium

The charm of Warsaw is what makes it the Paris of the North, the city is beautiful on its own but when you add the beauty of the stadiums it becomes one of the most magical cities sport-wise; welcome to Top facts about Stadion Narodowy, Kazimierz Górski’s National stadium.

The Stadion Narodowy im. Kazimierza Górskiego, sometimes known as the PGE Narodowy for sponsorship purposes, is a retractable roof football stadium in Warsaw, Poland. It is the home stadium of Poland's national football team and is mostly used for concerts and football events.

The first top fact of

top facts about Stadion Narodowy

is that the stadium is Poland's largest association football facility, with a seating capacity of 58,580. Its development began in 2008 and ended in November of 2011. It is located in the city center, on the site of the former Stadion Dziesieciolecia, on Zieleniecka Avenue in Praga Poudnie.

The stadium's retractable PVC roof unfolds from a nest atop a spire hung above the pitch's center.

The retractable roof was inspired by the Commerzbank-cable-supported Arena's unfolding system in Frankfurt, Germany, and is comparable to BC Place's freshly refurbished roof in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In terms of age, size, and roof, the stadium is quite comparable to Bucharest's Arena Nationala.

The National Stadium hosted the

UEFA Euro 2012

, which was co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine, for the opening match (a group match), two group matches, a quarterfinal, and a semifinal.

A heated pitch, a training pitch, façade lighting, and subterranean parking are all available at the stadium. It's a multifunctional arena that can accommodate athletic events, concerts, cultural events, and conferences, among other things.

The stadium officially opened on January 19, 2012, and the first football match was played on February 29, 2012. The game between the Polish and

Portuguese national football team

s concluded in a 0–0 tie.

The 2014–15 UEFA Europa League final was held at the stadium.

A thorough article of top facts about Stadion Narodowy, Kazimierz Górski’s National stadium

In this article of top facts about Stadion Narodowy, like 

many other arena articles

that we have already prepared, we will first go over the history of this field, digging deep into its roots and taking out what we need from near the roots.

After we are done with the history, we will analyze the structure of this stadium, from the building itself to the seating capacity and the facilities within.

Additionally, any other information has been provided regarding miscellaneous topics, thus stay with us as we uncover the top facts about Stadion Narodowy.

Stadion Narodowy history

Let us get to the beginning of the story in this section of

top facts about Stadion Narodowy

.

JSK Architects Ltd., GMP—von Gerkan, Marg und Partner Architekten, and SBP—Schleich Bergermann und Partner submitted a conceptual design (visualization and scale model) for a new stadium on February 1, 2008.

On May 15, 2008, the initial pre-construction work began when 126 concrete piles were pushed into the earth of the former stadium's grandstand basin. The National Sports Centre Ltd presented paperwork to the governor of Masovia on June 18, 2008, in order to receive a building permission.

This was approved on July 22, 2008, and a deal with Pol-Aqua SA to carry out the first stage of building work was signed on September 26, 2008. The stadium's construction began a few days later, on October 7, 2008.

An exterior webcam was mounted on the building site at the National Sports Centre. Broadcasting began on October 31, 2008, and viewers were able to follow the building's progress.

The entire procedure has been accessible from a second camera put on a tower at Washington Roundabout since the commencement of the second stage of construction on June 29, 2009. Images from the cameras may still be found on the stadium's official websites.

Construction

The pile driving procedure was finished on March 9, 2009, and the opening of tenders from businesses willing to build the stadium's second stage took place precisely one month later. Alpine Bau Deutschland AG, Alpine Bau GmbH and Alpine Construction Poland Ltd., Hydrobudowa Poland SA, and PBG SA presented the best bid.

The first building parts were seen from outside the stadium around the end of September. During the event on October 7, 2009, the cornerstone (foundation stone) and a time capsule were laid. Flags of Poland, the European Union, and the city of Warsaw, as well as newspapers from the time, coins, banknotes, and other items, were included in the time capsule.

The first part of the roof structure arrived at the building site towards the end of January. This was one of 72 elements that made up the huge steel roof framework.

They each weigh around 48 tons and stand 12.5 meters tall. The installation of all prefabricated pieces, which comprised the whole construction of the stadium stands, was completed on August 13, 2010. All concrete work was completed ten days later.

A news conference on the so-called "major lift operation" at the stadium was held on the 16th of December 2010 at the National Sports Centre's headquarters. The symposium covered the fundamentals of the process, which is one of the most technologically sophisticated in the world and the first of its kind in Europe.

There were no serious issues throughout this operation, and the 'big lift' was completed on January 4, 2011. A symbolic topping-out ceremony was performed in the presence of Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Mayor of Warsaw Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz on this occasion.

The grand opening

The most magical event was the opening of this amazing stadium and in this section of top facts about Stadion Narodowy, we will talk about this ceremony.

The National Stadium was supposed to be finished on June 30, 2011. The stadium was supposed to open to the public on July 22, 2011, and the formal opening was supposed to be on August 27.

Due to continuing construction, the event was postponed until January 2012, with just the first illumination of the stadium's exterior taking place in August. On September 6, 2011, a match against

the German national football team

was scheduled, but it was moved to Gdansk since the National Stadium was not yet completed.

On November 29, 2011, the construction work was officially finished. Rafa Kapler, the NCS President, submitted an application for a certificate of occupancy to the site manager one day later. The stadium's formal inauguration ceremony took held on January 29, 2012.

The occasion was marked with performances by Polish celebrities such as Voo Voo and Haydamaky, Zakopower, Coma, T. Love, and Lady Pank, as well as a nighttime fireworks display. The heating and irrigation systems, as well as the pitch installation, were finished on February 10, 2012.

The new street on the stadium's northern side was named after Ryszard Siwiec, who committed himself by self-immolation at the Stadion Dziesieciolecia in 1968 in protest of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Stadion Narodowy structure

A German-Austrian-Polish partnership managed by Alpine Bau and consisting of Alpine Bau Deutschland, Alpine Construction Poland, PBG SA, and Hydrobudowa Poland SA was the general contractor for the National Stadium.

The contract's completion deadline was scheduled for 24 months after it was signed, and the construction process employed around 1,200 people.

The stadium's façade is inspired by Polish national colors, like a waving Polish flag and made out of silver and red. The stadium's seats were also painted in the same color scheme.

The interior aluminum and glass elevation is covered with a façade made of painted mesh imported from Spain. Despite the closed roof construction, the stadium is an open building with no closed facade, therefore the temperature inside is identical to the outside temperature.

The use of such a structure provides for natural ventilation and access to natural light in spaces located underneath the stands.

Tip-up basic stadium chairs in red and silver, type: FCB

Elevations are supported by a strong structure made of Italian-made pipes. This structure is totally separate from the concrete stand structure and is essential to the retractable stadium roof. Designers were able to freely create the area beneath the stands as a result of this.

Stadion Narodowy pitch and stands

A heated pitch is available at the stadium. The surface is covered in a Dutch grass lawn grown in Heythuysen, the Netherlands.

The pitch will be covered with a specific panel during the organizing of events such as concerts, which must be removed within 5 days after its installation. A second proposal, putting a grass field on a unique floating platform, was ruled out owing to its prohibitive cost.

The National Stadium was designed by gmp Architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners, J.S.K Architekci Sp. z o.o., and sbp—schlaich bergermann und partner, a German-Polish cooperation (the design by Volkwin Marg and Hubert Nienhoff with Markus Pfisterer, Zbigniew Pszczulny, Mariusz Rutz, Marcin Chruslinski).

The building is made up of two levels of seating: top and bottom, with a total capacity of 58,580 people. Forum Seats, a Polish firm, provides all of the seating in the National Stadium (part of the Nowy Styl Group located in Krosno).

There are 900 seats for the press and journalists, over 4,600 "premium seats" for distinguished visitors, 106 places for handicapped individuals, and over 800 seats in the VIP lodges.

During the opening procedure, the retractable roof membrane is distinctive.

There are 130 000 m2 of changing rooms, conference spaces, and housing quarters beneath the stands.

The structure includes eight stories of varying heights. The tallest point of the stands is 41 meters above the previous 10th-Anniversary Stadium surface, while the steel roof structure reaches 70 meters above that level. Not only the stands but also the pitch may be covered by the roof.

Iconic roof

Another top fact of top facts about Stadion Narodowy is that the movable roof was composed of fiberglass coated with teflon and was partially transparent.

This type of cloth is resistant to weather conditions (rain, heat, and can withstand up to 18 cm of wet snow) as well as creases. The cloth was made in Bangkok by the Asia Membrane Co. Ltd., using technology from the German business Hightex GmbH.

It takes around 20 minutes to open or close the roof, and it can only be done in temperatures above 5 °C and not in the rain (this was the reason for a one-day postponement of the football match against England on 16 October 2012).

When the roof is opened, a drive system is used to stretch the membrane, and when the roof is closed, a drive system is used to fold the material. The steel wires that hold the roof structure weigh a total of 1,200 tons. Four LED display displays with a total size of 200 m2 are located under the roof.

Stadion Narodowy capacity

The most important factor of a world-class stadium is its capacity and the number of people it can hold within. How many can this stadium hold? Let us learn in this section of top facts about Stadion Narodowy.

During football matches, the stadium can hold up to 58,580 spectators, and up to 72,900 for concerts and other events (including 106 sites for disabled people).

The stadium's overall volume (excluding the roof) exceeds 1,000,000 m2 and its total area exceeds 204,000 m2. The retractable roof structure spans 240 270 meters, with the central spire rising 124 meters over the Vistula River and 100 meters above the pitch.

The bottom promenade is 924 meters long in total. With a capacity of 1600 people and 25,000 m2 of commercial office space, the stadium houses Warsaw's largest convention facility.

Underneath the pitch, there is underground parking for 1765 automobiles. Restaurants, a fitness center, a tavern, and 69 premium skyboxes are all located within the stadium.

Another amazing fact of top facts about Stadion Narodowy is that this field has the crown of National Stadium, with a red and white façade that resembles the Polish flag.

The National Stadium is a multi-sports venue that can host athletic events, concerts, and cultural performances. It will also be used as an office, a market, a hotel, a gourmet destination, and for other purposes. As a result, between 2000 and 3000 people are projected to attend the stadium every day.

Stadion Narodowy nickname origin

As you may have noticed the field is known by two names, one of which is the most common and the other being the Kazimierz Górski’s National stadium has not been heard too much but what was the reason or who was the reason behind this name that this stadium occupies? Let us learn in this section of top facts about Stadion Narodowy.

Kazimierz Klaudiusz Górski was the honorary president of the Polish Football Association and the coach of the Polish national football team. He was also a footballer who earned one Poland cap.

He was born in the Second Polish Republic, in the city of Lwów (nowadays Lviv, Ukraine). He was a forward for numerous Polish football teams, including RKS Lwów, Spartak Lviv, FC Dynamo Lviv, and Legia Warsaw, and his nickname on the field was "Sarenka" ("Roe-deer").

His great career was cut short by World War II, and he didn't play in an international match until 1948, a match between Poland and

Denmark

.

From 1956 to 1966, he coached the Polish national junior team, then the Polish U-23 squad from 1966 to 1970, and eventually the first Poland national football team from 1970 to 1976. His debut international encounter with the squad came against Switzerland on May 5, 1971, at Lausanne.

His main achievements include a gold medal at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, a silver medal (for third place) at the 1974 World Cup in Germany, and a silver medal for second place at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal (the second of Poland's three Olympic medals in football). For 73 matches, Kazimierz Górski coached the Polish national team (with 45 wins).

Poland qualified for the 1974 World Cup by beating England, the 1966 World Cup winners, at home and drawing them at

Wembley

.

Stadion Narodowy transportation

For those who feel like visiting this marvelous stadium here are some transportation options you might want to consider based on your liking.

The stadium is close to the Warszawa Stadion train station. The station has two side platforms that border the Warsaw Cross-City Line suburban tracks, which are used by regional trains operated by Koleje Mazowieckie and Szybka Kolej Miejska.

The S1 and S2 lines connect to the stadium. The journey from central Warsaw takes roughly 5 minutes, and trains operate every 4 minutes during rush hour. Only trains could transport roughly 26000 people to the stadium in under an hour. The station was completely renovated in early 2012 in preparation for the new stadium and the UEFA Euro 2012.

The Warsaw Metro connects to the stadium. Stadion Narodowy metro station (C14), which opened in March 2015, is the nearest stop.

Several tram and bus stations are located near the stadium. The most convenient method to get to the stadium from the city center is to use the George Washington Roundabout's transportation hub (Rondo Jerzego Waszyngtona).

Thank you for reading our

top facts about Stadion Narodowy

. We would also appreciate it if you share this article with friends or family members so they can also learn more about this national field of Poland.

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